SALT LAKE CITY, USA – Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC), a rapidly growing, mission-driven premium coffee company founded to support Veterans, active-duty military, and first responders, has appointed Heath Nielsen to the newly created position of Chief Retail Officer.
Nielsen joins a deep and experienced BRCC executive team of industry leaders who will help the company maximize growth opportunities, including in its retail business, known as Outposts.
BRCC Outposts are redefining the brand experience, providing an immersive retail experience to BRCC customers, including showcasing premium products while building a community around the company’s commitment to Veterans, active-duty military, first responders, and those who love America.
BRCC is at the early stages of a multi-decade growth strategy fueled by rapidly expanding its community and leveraging its powerful omni-channel platform. BRCC plans to open 15 to 20 new company-owned retail stores during 2022, plus an additional 5 franchisee-owned Outposts for a total of 20 to 25 total Outposts during the year—a notable increase from 8 company and 8 franchised Outposts at the end of 2021.
The Outposts are not only growing in number, but also in experiential impact as BRCC launches a new prototype shop. The new design provides an elevated, brand-centric customer experience and a reimagined retail merchandise section, while improving back-of-house ergonomics and throughput.
“Heath is a creative, innovative leader who brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience to our retail Outpost growth platform,” said BRCC Founder and CEO Evan Hafer. “Heath will further enhance the unique brand experience Outposts offer our BRCC community, while building the capability to scale this business segment to achieve the ‘white space opportunity’ we have identified for more than 1,300 Outposts.”
Heath comes to BRCC from Just Food for Dogs, where he was CEO of the fast growth omnichannel business with over 300 retail locations across the United States. Heath previously led operations for Nestle Coffee Partners’ Starbucks division as Senior Vice President, U.S. and Canada where he oversaw the merger and operations of Starbucks food service into the Nestle organization. Prior to this, Heath led all Starbucks franchise café and foodservice operations in North America as Senior Vice President, U.S. Divisions and Canada Branded Solutions. He also served in senior leadership roles at Sony Corporation and Vail Resorts.
“Prior to my experience in the business world, I began my career in the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division and it is an honor to be joining Black Rifle Coffee—combining my passion for retail and high-growth companies with a desire to give back to the Veteran community,” said Heath on his appointment. “I’m excited to work with such a purpose-driven company. Evan Hafer has articulated the bold goal of hiring 10,000 Veterans. Outposts will be the key growth driver in achieving that objective.”
Heath’s responsibilities include leading all Outpost innovation, planning, construction, and operations for this fast-growing component of the BRCC omni-channel flywheel. Reporting to Heath will be Kim Ellis, SVP Development and Dan Kaepernik, VP Retail Operations.
